European shares weaken in early trading; Reuters, Hanson up

SarahTurner

LONDON (MarketWatch) -- European shares were slightly lower in early trading on Tuesday, as some further weakness from miners Rio Tinto
RIO, -0.53%
and BHP Billiton
BHP, -0.17%
offset deal related gains from Reuters Group and Hanson. Shares in financial information provider Reuters Group
rtrsyuk:rtr
rose 2.4% to 620 pence a share share after the company agreed a back a $17.2 billion buyout deal from Canada's Thomson Corp.
TOC, -7.27%
Meanwhile, shares in building materials group Hanson
uk:hns
rose 3.6% after the group agreed to accept a $15.8 billion offer from Germany's HeidelbergCement
HEI, -0.50%
Turning to earnings, pub operator Enterprise Inns
uk:eti
jumped 8% after posting a 15.7% rise in half-year net profit, while Deutsche Post
DPW, -1.01%
shares rose 2.4% after a 4% profit rise from that firm. The U.K. FTSE 100 index lost 0.1% at 6,548.70, the German DAX Xetra 30 index slipped 0.3% at 7,436.58 and the French CAC-40 index declined 0.5% at 5,999.85.

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